Interfolded paper dispenser



J1me 1954 A. s. KRUEGER ET AL 2,682,441

- r INTERFOLDED PAPER DISPENSER Filed Sept. 7, 1950 5 I i lavas-rams 4RcH/BR40 5. KRJEGE/Q Nam/0AM J. 54 v5 AJMQMJW Ma r Patented June 29, 1954 INTERFOLDED PAPER DISPENSER Archibald S. Krueger and Norman J. Slye, Green Bay, Wis., assignors to Alwin Manufacturing Company, Green Bay, Wis., a corporation of Wisconsin Application September 7, 1950, Serial No. 183,536

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in interfolded paper dispensers.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a paper dispenser wherein a web of paper previously withdrawn from the interfolded pack within the dispenser case will extend free of the dispenser side panels so as to present a projecting portion which may be readily grasped for the purpose of its complete withdrawal. In this connection it is an object of the invention to provide a paper dispenser. having edged surfaces adjacent a dispensing slot so oriented as to hold the projecting paper web away from the dispenser side surfaces.

Another object of the invention is to provide a paper dispenser having an internal follower plate construction permitting the interfolded sheets to be readily pulled from the dispenser without binding against the remaining sheets or otherwise disturbing the interfolded relation of the remaining sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide an interfolded paper dispenser having a follower plate movable to and from a paper dispensing slot on improved channel support and guide elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a paper dispenser having an improved paper loading door which is held in normally closed position by the weight of the dispenser itself.

Other objects wll be more apparent from an examination of the following disclosure.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front three-quarter perspective view of the dispenser with a portion of the front of the loading door broken away to show details of interior construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view largely in cross section along the line 2-2 of Fig. 4 with portions broken away to show further details of construction.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the follower plate disassociated from the dispenser.

The paper dispenser is designed to store in readily accessible form a pack ID of interfolded paper sheets. The various interfolded sheets comprising the pack progressively become individually accessible as the next preceding sheet is withdrawn from the dispenser through a slot 13. By virtue of the interfolded relation of succeeding sheets, withdrawal of one sheet automatically brings the next succeeding sheet into projecting relation through the slot whereby its extending Web i I may be readily grasped for the purpose of its withdrawal.

The dispenser comprises a case [2 which is provided at one side surface with a longitudinal dispensing slot l3 through which the webs ll of the interfolded pack progressively extend. The case i2 is provided with a paper loading door indicated generally as it; which forms the lower front corner of the case comprising the lower portion l8 of the front of the case and the front portion I! of the case bottom. The door is swingable to an open pack loading position on hinges 20 which are secured to the fixed portion IQ of the case bottom.

The door It projects forwardly of the plane of the upper front case surface 23 a distance equal to the width of the top marginal edge 24 of the door front Hi. The marginal edge 24 is continued at right angles to itself to form an inner flange 25 parallel to the front [8. An abutment 26 is struck up from the bottom of the door I! to be substantially co-planar with the flange 25, both flange 25 and abutment 26 being substantially co-planar with the upper front surface 23 of the case. The lower edge of front surface 23 is rolled inwardly and upwardly back against itself so as to provide an abutment flange 21.

The interfolded paper pack H! may be inserted through the open door into the case and positioned as best shown in Fig. 4. The closing of the door leat'es the front of the pack abutting the upper flange 2! and the lower door abutment 26. When so inserted within the case the interfolded paper pack is constantly pressed against the flanges 26 and 21 by means of a follower plate 28 which backs up the pack and is slidable toward and away from the dispensing slot It. The follower plate 28 is'provided with a coil spring 29 which normally biases the plate toward the slot. The rear inside surface of the case is provided with an embossed circular abutment 30 which provides a seat upon which the coil spring 29 is located. The end of the coil spring remote from the abutment 3c is engaged with the nibs 33 struck from the rear of the follower plate 28.

With the interfolded pack IE3 so inserted a projecting web of one of the interfolded sheets will extend outwardly of the dispensing slot it. As successive sheets are dispensed the web will project alternately from the top or the bottom of the case, as shown in the dotted and full lines 3i and 32, respectively in Fig. 4. When the web I extends from the bottom of the case as at 32, it

When the web extends from the top of the case, as at 3|, it is held away from the front surfaces of the case by the outward offset of the lower margin 24 of the dispensing slot and is similarly free of the case surfaces and in a convenient position to be grasped by a user.

In order to support and guide the follower plate in its sliding movement, the case i2 is provided with inwardly flanged channels disposed at the insidesurfaces of the case end panels. The channels comprise inwardly extending flanges 34 and 35 which extend from front to rear of the case and terminate inside the front of the case, immediately adjacent the sloted'ges. The horizontal face of the lower flange 34 is extended, as best shown in Fig. 1, to the outwardly offset surface of the case l2 below the .slot so .as to give apparent thickness to the wall ofthe case below the slot.

The follower plate 28 is provided at its side edges with guide fingers 36 and 31 which extend at substantially right angles to the plane of the follower plate and which are spaced from each other complementary with the channel flange spacing so as to peripherally engage the inner surfaces of the guide flanges 34 and 35.

Although the fit between the guide fingers 36 and 31 and the channel flanges 34 and is sufficiently loose to permit ready sliding of the follower plate along the channel, the lateral extension of the fingers 3B and 31 is sufllciently long to maintain the follower plate in substantially a vertical position within the case.

The shape of the follower plate is ofsome considerable significance. It is noted that the plate is concavely dished in a direction away from the slot so as to present a cavity 38 between the follower plate and the rear sheet of the paper pack Hi. This cavity 38 is located at the lower portion of the plate 28 so as to be disposed relatively adjacent the abutment 26 against which the paper pack is frontally confined. The withdrawal of the front interfolded sheet from pressure contact with the abutment 26 will cause a binding pressure to be exerted laterally of the pack at its lower portion when the next succeeding sheet folded therewithin is curled upwardly. This lateral pressure will be readily absorbed by slight pack deformation into the cavity 38. Inv this manner the smooth withdrawal of the first sheet and the front web of the sheet interfolded therewith is insured while succeeding sheets are firmly held. The upper portion of the plate 28 need not be provided with a similar cavity, as the upper forward portion of the pack [0 is not rigidly confined; thus lateral distortion of the top of the pack will take place for wardly of the front interfolded sheet.

The case is provided with longitudinally paired feet 39 and 40. The feet 39 are disposed at the fixed bottom portion IQ of the case at one side of the hinges 20, and the feet 40 are disposed in the hinged bottom portion I! of the door 16 at the other side of the hinges 20 The weight of the case pressing downwardly on both sets of paired feet will normally hold the door [6 in closed position, although the case may additionally be provided with a detent holding means (not shown).

From the foregoing description it may be seen that the paper dispensing case having a forwardly projecting portion below the dispensing slot serves to hold a downwardly projecting paper web away from the case front surfaces so as to permits the free and unbinding removal of the several successive interfolded sheets. The hinged door provides a convenient and simple means for loading the case, and the disposal of the feet fore and aft of the hinge line provides for gravity biased closure of the door. In addition the follower plate is provided with an improved means for its support and guidance as it progressively urges the sheets, toward the dispensing slot.

I claim:

1. In an interfolded paper dispenser the combination with a case having a wall provided with a dispensing slot, of a follower plate provided with biasing means adapted to urge a pack of interfolded paper contained within the case toward said slot, an abutment against which a margin of the pack is pressed by said plate, said follower plate having an edge opposite said abutment and cooperating with the abutment in holding said margin therebetween, said plate being rearwardly inclined from said edge whereby said plate is in substantially line contact with the pack margin at said edge, and a clearance space for the partial reception therein of a portion of the interfolded pack deformed by partial removal therefrom of an interfolded sheet of paper included within the pack is thereby provided.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the case is provided with end panels interiorly having spaced guide flanges extending from the margin of the slot toward the rear of the case, the follower plate being provided at its end edges with guide fingers spaced apart a distance substantially equal to the width of the slot and slidable within said channels for the support and guided movement of the follower plate toward and away from the slot.

3. In a paper dispenser the combination with a case adapted to receive therein a pack of interfolded paper and having a dispensing slot disposed longitudinally of the case in one wall thereof, the wall portion of the case above the slot being relatively fixed and the wall portion of the case below said slot being relatively movable and offset frontally with respect to the wall portion of the case above the slot, said offset wall portion being unitarily extended underneath the case to form part of the bottom thereof, and said extended bottom portion being hinged to the case proper along a line parallel to the slot beneath the case whereby the paper pack may be loaded into the case by swinging the wall portion of the case below the slot to open position to provide access to the case interior through said slot and through the opened portion of the case wall, and whereby the weight of the case normally gravity biases said hinged portion into a closed position with respect to the case proper, said hinged portion forming a unitary part of the case when so closed and cooperating with the wall of the case above the slot in supporting the paper pack.

4. The device of claim 3 in which the wall portion of the case below the slot has an internally disposed abutment substantially co-planar with the wall portion of the case above the slot when the wall portion below the slot is swung into closed position, said abutments being adapted to define the forward limit of paper pack position Within the case.

5. The device of claim 4 in further combination with a follower plate adapted to contact the rear portion of the interfolded paper pack and having biasing means to urge the pack against said abutments, said follower plate having a lower edge in substantially line contact with the paper pack and a wall dished rearwardly away from said lower edge so as to provide a clearance space behind said pack within which yielding movement of the pack responsive to partial removal of an interfolded sheet may be accommodated thereby facilitating the ready removal of the interfolded sheets of paper without binding said sheets against one another. I

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the case is provided with guide channel flanges at both end panels thereof substantially aligned with the margins of the dispenser slot and at right angles to the plane of the dispensing slot, said follower plate being provided with guide elements slidably receivable within said guide channel whereby the follower plate is supported and guided within the case for movement toward and away from said dispensing slot.

7. An interfolded paper dispenser comprising a case having front and rear walls, the front wall being provided with a dispensing slot, the portion of the front wall above the slot being provided with a rearwardly projecting upper abutment at the upper margin of the slot against which the paper pack may bear at a point intermediate its top and bottom margins with its top margin above said abutment and free for limited lateral movement toward said wall portion, the wall portion below the slot being offset forwardly of the portion of the wall above the slot, said wall portion below the slot being provided with a rearwardly offset lower abutment substantially in the vertical plane of the upper abutment and at the level of the lower margin of the pack and against which said lower margin bears, a follower plate at the rear of the pack and resilient means biasing said follower plate toward said abutments whereby said follower plate presses the lower margin of the pack against said lower abutment and an intermediate portion of the pack against said upper abutment, the upper margin of the pack being free, said follower plate havinga lower edge opposite said lower abutment, the plate comprising a wall rearwardly inclined from said edge to provide a recessed clearance space above said edge into which portions of the pack may yield when deformed by partial removal therefrom of an interfolded sheet of paper.

8. In a paper dispenser the combination with a case having a front wall, a bottom wall and a top, said front wall being provided with a slot dividing said front wall into upper and lower front portions, the upper front portion being fixed with respect to said top and the lower front portion being movable with respect to said upper front portion, and a hinge to which said lower front portion is hinged to the bottom, said lower front portion comprising a door for loading the dispenser with a paper pack, said bottom and said door being provided with feet at opposite sides of said hinge whereby the door is biased toward closed position by the weight of the case on said feet.

9. The device of claim 8 in which said hinge is offset rearwardly from said front portion whereby a portion of the bottom forwardly of said hinge and said lower front portion constituting the lower front corner of the case pivots as a unit on said hinge.

10. The device of claim 9 in which said lower front portion of the wall is offset forwardly from the upper front portion of the wall and is provided with an internal abutment rearwardly offset from said lower front portion but substantially co-planar with said upper front portion whereby to cooperate therewith in the support of the paper pack.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 416,340 Moodie Dec. 3, 1889 1,678,650 Richardson et a1. July 31, 1928 1,971,298 Dorman Aug. 21, 1934 2,117,396 Birr May 17, 1938 2,138,692 Broeren et a1. Nov. 29, 1938 2,153,278 Shelley Apr. 4, 1939 2,253,742 West Aug. 26, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 14,848 Great Britain July 13, 1908 

